


White Fang vs CLO

by lifeaftermeteor



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Colonial Liberation Organization, Gen, International Relations, Low Intensity Conflict, Meta, Politics, Terrorism, War, White Fang, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 10:35:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29312700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lifeaftermeteor/pseuds/lifeaftermeteor
Summary: Of all the warring factions in Gundam Wing, perhaps the most impactful to the overall arc of the events in AC 195-196 are the Colonial Liberation Organization (CLO) and White Fang. Without these organizations, we would not have had the Gundams or their pilots much less the final multi-faceted showdown in space on Christmas Eve AC 195. Despite this importance, very little is known about the CLO itself and White Fang is a late-introduction to the overall storyline. This meta seeks to explore what we know and don't know about these organizations, and what we can extrapolate from there.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4
Collections: Worldbuilding in the AC Universe





	White Fang vs CLO

Of all the warring factions in Gundam Wing, perhaps the most impactful to the overall arc of the events in AC 195-196 are the Colonial Liberation Organization (CLO) and White Fang. Without these organizations, we would not have had the Gundams or their pilots much less the final multi-faceted showdown in space on Christmas Eve AC 195.

Despite this importance, very little is known about the CLO itself and White Fang is a late-introduction to the overall storyline. The same can be said of their apparent leaders, [ Quinze Quarante ](https://gundam.fandom.com/wiki/Quinze_Quarante) and [ Dekim Barton ](https://gundam.fandom.com/wiki/Dekim_Barton). Let us take a moment to shed some light on these critical players in the AC universe, and use what we know to extrapolate what we might be able to understand. To do so, I’ve split this meta into two parts. The first draws on canon and supplementary material; the second is entirely worldbuilding and extrapolation.

**What We (Don’t) Know**

Not much is officially “known” about the CLO beyond the fact that it appears on decals in gunpla kits. If we allow ourselves the flexibility to use that as “evidence” of canon connections, we can assume the pilots, the suits, and the scientists by extension were affiliated. If we take this a step further, we thus assume that at least some aspect of the CLO’s mission was focused on colonial independence...but that’s unfortunately where the knowledge ends. In fact, so much of CLO’s activities are defined by the activities of the Gundams and their pilots that it’s difficult to do little else but speculate. We know nothing about the CLO’s recruitment and retention, training, tactics, resources, logistical support, or other relevant matters beyond what we see of the Gundams themselves. In a similar fashion, we know that the Barton Foundation bankrolled at least _some_ of the bills in order to create the Gundams themselves, but to what degree it provided other support to other CLO activities and how involved Dekim Barton was personally is unclear. 

Much the same can be said if we look only at the series itself. We understand the organization under Quarante’s leadership has recruited disenfranchised soldiers formerly of the Alliance and Treize Faction to infiltrate OZ ranks. Targeted recruitment was also a practice, as demonstrated by Quarante’s pursuit of Zechs and Duo’s vehement refusal to join the organization when propositioned by White Fang operatives in Episode 39. Likewise, we see Courtesy series events, we also know that White Fang took control of Romefeller’s lunar base and the Libra battleship in AC 195 with the intention to realize the original Operation M using Libra in lieu of a colony drop. Supplementary materials also suggest that [ White Fang was in fact an off-shoot of the CLO ](https://gundam.fandom.com/wiki/White_Fang): it was operational as early as AC 140 and was conducting terrorist attacks in AC 145 (which would by extension suggest that CLO is older by some measure). However, yet again we’re faced with significant unknowns when it comes to the tactical side of things, much as we are with the CLO.

As to Barton and Quarante themselves, we know both were followers of the late Heero Yuy and his pacifist ideals. We know that upon Yuy’s assassination, both men swore to avenge his death by taking the fight to Earth. Quarante is credited with the inception of the original Operation Meteor (i.e. a colony drop) while Barton took the plan one step further by building the Gundams to facilitate his and his family’s takeover of Earth. Although we know little of Quarante’s path prior to rising to the head of White Fang, we know that Barton not only killed Odin Lowe in direct retaliation for Yuy’s assassination, established the Barton Foundation, faked his death, and funded both the building of the Gundams and the training of their respective pilots. With the failure of the original plan, we know we reinvigorated the operation against Earth in AC 196 before finally meeting his demise.

_A Note on Conflict and Fragmentation_

We should understand that the conflict we witness in the AC universe is less aligned with the traditional state-to-state conflict of traditional warfare and more with [ low-intensity conflict ](https://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/library/policy/army/fm/fm34-52/chapter9.htm) (LIC). [ In brief ](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/ac_worldbuilding/works/25360426) , this entails a protracted politico-military conflict involving non-state actors, competing ideologies, psycho-social tactics, and limitations on both resources and geography. Shifting allegiances and organizational fracturing is not uncommon in these conflicts. In fact, [ there is some indication ](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1057610X.2019.1680184) that chances of fragmentation increases when there is a greater number of relationships between factions, membership overlaps to some extent, and the leadership structure is either too centralized or varies too often. We see some indication of this happening in real-time at the operative level in Episode 36, which opens on a secret meeting among rebel fighters debating the value of fighting not Earth but _Romefeller_ specifically and teaming up with the Treize Faction. [Duo wisely notes the need to consider ‘what happens after’ and declines joining their cause.]

**Extrapolation and Speculation**

_Colony Liberation Organization_

The CLO was established in the early AC 130s, though a specific date is unclear. Some argue it arose directly in response to Earth’s territorial lines being redrawn in AC 130; others contend that it followed some years after, once it was clear that not only would Earth’s nation-states leverage military prowess to exert control both on- and off-planet but also that whatever they did vis-a-vis the Alliance, so too would their colonies be required.

Regardless of founding date, the objectives and goals of the organization were clear and remained so until its disbandment in AC 196: 

  * Liberation from Earth rule and the right to self-actualization
  * Establishment of an independent space-based nation or nations
  * Colonial democracy and representative government structures
  * Full membership and participation in Earth-based institutions
  * Protection of colonial civil liberties and freedoms against Earth-based oppression
  * Calibrated, targeted, and direct action against aggressors



The CLO did not retain a firmly structured network; rather operations were conducted by loosely affiliated cells across the Earth Sphere, unified by their principles...although in what priority they were defined varied greatly among the disparate LaGrange points. This last element listed above, however, drove much of CLO operations AC 130-195. Unlike other separatist or state-sponsored organizations, CLO recognized the limited resources and protections it had and restraint seems to have defined much of its operations accordingly. To avoid incurring the wrath of the colonial populations, the organization was careful in that its attacks primarily targeted space-based military facilities and associated infrastructure or resource mining projects. In rare instances the CLO chose “[ soft targets ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_target)” but otherwise remained vigilant to ensure casualties were limited to Alliance personnel from off-colony. However, in one notable exception to this rule, an attack on the L1-B10201 Alliance base resulted in significant military and civilian casualties, to include 1,534 residents of nearby apartment complexes. The strategic communications arm of the organization—decentralized though it may have been—was quick to express condolences to citizens affected by the attack and simultaneously doubled down on condemning the Alliance’s basing on colonies in and amidst the 

The CLO’s credibility, recruitment, and retention—largely by word of mouth and fueled by underground political and social movements—declined sharply in the aftermath of the AC 194 attack. Many operatives lost faith in the cause and retreated to civilian life; others allowed themselves to be swept into White Fang’s ranks. 

Hindsight being what it is, we now know that at least some CLO operatives joined forces at this time with other organizations which boasted like-minded principles and personnel. The Sweepers are one prime example: the scavenge and salvage group allowed CLO operatives to continue their work undetected and cross LaGrange point boundaries with Alliance-approved flight plans and manifests. Still others—such as those reportedly sheltered by the L5 cluster—operated independently. 

This diffuse and decentralized structure ensured the survival of the organization and the mission, but also meant no one entity could control operations once set into motion. Dekim Barton learned this lesson personally. After faking his own death and funding both construction of five Gundams as well as the training of their pilots, he quickly lost command and control over these assets. The Gundams and their creators for all appearances executed their missions independently (though did eventually unite in December AC 195 to defeat White Fang) and without direction from Barton or his compatriots. In AC 196, we saw the culmination of this fragmentation: Barton’s attempts to assert total control over the Earth Sphere by holding it hostage to a colony drop resulted in defeat and his own demise.

_White Fang_

In AC 140, the CLO fragmented and White Fang was born. This new organization took umbrage with its originator’s restraint and decentralization, opting instead to embrace a more hierarchical structure to manage its ranks as well as more militant tactics. A young Quinze Quarante was among the new organization’s first recruits and quickly rose within its ranks, taking on greater and greater leadership responsibility, due to successful operations, visionary tendencies, and nefarious tactics alike.

Where CLO embraced a grassroots, small-scale approach to separatism leveraging limited resources for targeted action, White Fang pushed for bigger and more dramatic demonstrations of their capabilities. As the Alliance bore down with growing military and socio-economic strength on the colonies, black markets and criminal activity provided ample recruitment and financial avenues to fuel increasingly professional terrorist cells across the Earth Sphere. 

Heero Yuy’s entrance onto the political stage in AC 163 and his subsequent designation as “Leader of the Colonies” in AC 165 offered a respite from separatist operations across the colonies as a sign of good-will for negotiations with Earth. Yuy by all accounts was charismatic, intelligent, and home-grown in the L1 Cluster. Sensing shifting tides, Quarante and other White Fang leadership put a halt to operations to see where the politician would lead them. 

Following Yuy’s assassination, however, White Fang renewed its attacks with fervor. Although reliable sources vary in their assessment on the degree to White Fang’s involvement, it is widely accepted that the colonial riots of AC 188 were driven by Quarante’s plans to further destabilize the strategic balance between Earth and Space. When the Alliance—and later OZ—pulled the colonial populace into their own military ranks, White Fang was quick to seize upon the opportunity and planted operatives throughout the military and defense industrial complex. This provided multiple opportunities for sabotage from within between AC 189-195, causing significant damage to both resources and troop morale.

In AC 195, White Fang successfully captured a lunar base and began manufacturing the armaments and suits it needed to wage its ultimate war against Earth. It has been reported that Quarante personally recruited Zechs Marquise into the organization for the final battle. It has likewise been speculated that he or his representatives likely attempted much the same with other notable combatants (i.e., the Gundam pilots) but was ultimately unsuccessful.

Whereas AC 196 brought about the CLO’s formal disbandment and committed to cease all activities, White Fang marked the “Eve War” event as a strategic loss. The organization suffered significant losses in resources, popular support, and personnel—to include Quarante himself. In the years following, the organization has been sidelined to extremism and is recognized by both orbital colonies and the Earth Sphere United Nations (ESUN) as a terrorist organization. Operations continue to this day, but are drastically reduced in scope and lethality. In [ AC 202 ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6364948/chapters/14580370), the Preventers routed a human and arms trafficking and terrorist financing ring which had been operating under the oversight of L2 mob boss, Andris Ozols. The global, coordinated response demonstrated the Preventers’ improved capacity to deal with such widespread and disparate threats and further hindered White Fang attempts to regroup. 

For now, ESUN and both Earth and colonial governments can trust that the threat posed by White Fang is managed. However, with human expansion into the solar system, one must wonder whether we may have a new recruitment challenge to be wary of.


End file.
